Ray Williams development scandal: Donor was in meeting when MP lobbied minister

EXCLUSIVE: Multicultural Affairs Minister Ray Williams lobbied former Planning Minister Rob Stokes over a proposed development while a developer who donated to his campaign was in the room.

Ray Williams speaks at Question Time last week after the developement donor scandal broke.

MULTICULTURAL Affairs Minister Ray Williams lobbied former Planning Minister Rob Stokes in 2015 over a proposed development at South Dural while a developer who donated to his campaign was in the same room.

And another minister has been dragged into the Williams donations affair, with Better Regulation Minister and Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s confidant Matt Kean also attending the meeting and appearing to ­support the developers.

Mr Kean and Mr Williams ­attended the September 2015 meeting with developer Bruce Lyon, who The Daily Telegraph has revealed donated $134 to Mr Williams’ electorate conference in 2012, three years after developer donations were banned in NSW.

Lyon Group Australia managing director Bruce Lyon was among those meeting with Mr Stokes in 2015.

The Liberal Party said yesterday that $134 had been refunded a month after it was received but was unable to confirm whether this was because they discovered Mr Lyon was a suspected prohibited donor.

“Payment was made for two ­tickets to the Hawkesbury SEC Ball in 2012,” a Liberal Party spokeswoman said.

“The party can confirm the processing of tickets for the Hawkesbury Ball was processed in early July 2012 and money was refunded to Mr Lyon in early August 2012.”

Ministerial diary records show Mr Williams, Hornsby MP Mr Kean and Epping MP Damien Tudehope, together with developers including Mr Lyon, met with Mr Stokes in ­September 2015.

The subject was the same proposed South Dural development that The Daily Telegraph revealed last week Mr Williams had ­supported in Parliament in 2010.

Rob Stokes is now Education Minister. Picture: Tim Hunter.

South Dural’s proposed rezoning area.

Mr Stokes’ ministerial diary says the meeting featured representatives from APP Corporation Pty Ltd, Folkestone Limited, Mr Lyon’s company Statewide Property Ventures Pty Ltd, Hornsby Shire Council, the South Dural Residents and Ratepayers Group and the MP, with the record showing it was “to discuss rezoning of lands at South Dural under Gateway proposal”.

Mr Tudehope said yesterday that while he opposed the rezoning, the two other MPs spoke in favour of it.

“I just think it didn’t have any legs ... and it was an overdevelopment ... in circumstances (where there was) no infrastructure supporting it,” he said.

But Mr Kean claimed he was not pushing for the rezoning as much as for government to make a decision.

“I attended the September 2015 meeting because the subject land was in my electorate,” he said.

Matt Kean MP was also in the 2015 meeting with Mr Stokes.

“The proponents wanted to get feedback from the Department of Planning about their business case, which had been submitted months earlier. I was supportive of their push to get a timely response.

“I did not have — and could not have had — a view on their development, as there were no details. Later, when the details were revealed, I ­opposed the development because it was inappropriate for the area.”

Mr Williams defended his lobbying, saying: “Local members are ­always invited to attend meetings with ministers to discuss issues ­affecting their local area.

“Currently New Line Road, the access road to Dural, is gridlocked daily with about 30,000 vehicles.

“To date the government has not committed to upgrading New Line Rd and as a result, Hornsby Council no longer supports the proposal.

“I do not support one more house being built in Dural until New Line Rd is upgraded.

“Questions regarding donations should be directed to the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division).”

Mr Stokes, who is now Education Minister, said in a statement: “As ­recorded on the Ministers’ Diary Disclosures on the Department of Premier and Cabinet website, I had a meeting on September 15, 2015 with a number of parties to discuss rezoning of lands at South Dural under Gateway proposal.

“What the developers were proposing had little strategic planning merit. This was later reflected in the decision by the Department of ­Planning.”

Those at the meeting said the group was looking for the widening of New Line Rd at Dural to allow the proposed development at south Dural to go ahead.

Party sources said the party was working with the Electoral Commission on the list of donations to Mr Williams revealed last week to determine if any were outside the law.

‘Uncle Joe’ denies he’s a developer under the act

Andrew Clennell

A BUSINESSMAN who owns some of the south Dural land that developers are attempting to rezone and who has donated more than $1000 to Ray Williams’ former electoral conference has been mentioned in the maiden speeches of the Multicultural Minister and also Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean.

In fact, Joe Saliba was referred to in the latter’s maiden speech as a Liberal Party local member as “Uncle Joe”.

Joe Saliba

The Daily Telegraph revealed last week that Mr Saliba donated more than $1000 to Mr Williams’ Hawkesbury Conference as part of a cache of internal finance documents showing a number of donations from a number of alleged property developers.

Mr Saliba — who made two separate donations of $700 and $414 on July 8, 2013 — said yesterday he did not fit the definition in the Electoral Act concerning developers.

That definition says developers must submit “regular DAs” to qualify under the definition.

“I don’t think I have done more than two DAs in 15 years,” Mr Saliba said.

Last week in Parliament Mr Williams answered every question on the donations affair by reading from a prepared statement that said: “Allegations made today regarding me are completely false. I welcome this immediate investigation into these allegations … I look forward to my good name being cleared.”